1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to martial arts, physical fitness, exercise and sports equipment, more particularly to striking devices, and more particularly to punching bags; directed to a new technology and method of use that comprises relatively non-resistant contact striking targets made of flexible materials or fabrics, for “non-force impact” training and exercise.
2. Background of the Invention
Martial arts, boxing, and basic self-defense skills are studied all over the world, in some form or another, with practitioners at all skill levels known to use striking devices, such as punching bags, to provide physical targets to be struck. The largest known is the heavy bag used for footwork, power and physical conditioning. Traditional heavy bags simulate the general size and weight of a human opponent and come in a variety of lengths, diameters, and weights, with some weighing well over one hundred pounds. In the past, heavy bags were typically found in martial arts studios, boxing gyms, and health clubs. More recently, they have found their way into the homes, patios, and garages of consumers. However, for most people, heavy bags for home use are not realistic or practical. For example, heavy bags are generally hung from a ceiling supported by rope, chain or other apparatus that must be fixedly attached to weight bearing or reinforced structures. Springs may also be included to help dampen heavy vibration transfer and noise though walls. Or they may be suspended from a large, sturdy structure that takes up extra space, or mounted upright on a stable base filled with water, sand, concrete or other weighted material that is heavy and difficult to move once filled for weight. Heavy bags are constructed of a durable exterior such as leather, vinyl, or canvas, and are filled with impact absorbing materials for receiving hard force impact strikes. Heavy bags tend to bounce or swing when being struck and do not realistically react by fastly shaping and reshaping as would a live opponent. It would be desirable, therefore, to produce a striking device that is light in weight and is the general size and shape of a heavy bag, takes up little space, and is easy to move and mount without the concern for weight bearing structures or vibration transfers and noise through walls and ceilings. It would be further desirable to produce a striking device that is light in weight so that it does not require being suspended from either a large, sturdy upright structure, or stand upright on a stable base that is difficult to move when weighted and takes up extra space where area is limited, such as in the home. It would be further desirable to produce a striking device that provides a spontaneous refresh rate that realistically reacts by fastly shaping and reshaping when being struck, as would a live opponent.
Self-defense instructors and trainers know that the act of striking with relatively hard force impact builds power, however, it also sends rebound energy back to the user that slows speed and clogs continuity when striking in combinations. To solve this problem, the lighter and “more lively” types of training bags, such as the light bag, timing bag, and small speed bag, are used for specific types of exercises that train more efficient short arm and fist movements to deliver faster repetitive strikes, develop timing and sharpen hand-eye coordination. However, unlike the heavy bag, the smaller training bags do not simulate a full-size opponent to be targeted and struck. Nor do heavy bags, nor training bags enable the user to accurately analyze and correct technical mistakes by striking with relatively non-force impact, such as when shadow boxing, or performing the choreographed patterns of movements in martial arts forms (kata) that help develop structure, balance, and precision of technique. It would be desirable, therefore, to produce a striking device that does not send rebound energy back to the user that can slow speed and clog continuity. It would be further desirable to produce a striking device that combines the heavy bag's advantages of targeted striking at a simulated, full-size opponent, with the advantages of the lighter “more lively” action of smaller training bags. It would be further desirable to produce a striking device that provides the ability to accurately analyze and correct technical mistakes, as when shadow boxing, or performing the choreographed patterns of movements in martial arts forms.
Forms and shadow boxing are important for training advanced skills, burning calories, cardiovascular conditioning, balance, core strength, stamina, and endurance as evident in boxing, where a fighter burns more energy and effort missing his opponent than hitting him. The shared disadvantage, of both forms and shadow boxing, is that the user loses the ability to visibly target an actual object in order to accurately measure distance, timing, and effect of strikes. It would be therefore, desirable to produce a striking device that provides the “visible targeting” for accurately measuring distance, timing, and effects of strikes when practicing forms and shadow boxing. Self-defense instructors and trainers know that in order to teach well-rounded striking skills, they must rely on separate pieces of equipment for training different exercises. However, additional pieces of equipment and bags take up space and can be expensive, making them not well suited for the home or users on a tight budget. It would be therefore desirable to produce a striking device that combines the usages of multiple pieces of equipment into a single unit.
Alternatively, some striking devices require that they be disassembled for different exercises or in order to save space, resulting in wasted time and preventing training multiple exercises and techniques together in rapid succession. It would be desirable, therefore to produce a striking device that does not require being disassembled by the user to save space or to train multiple exercises together in rapid succession. It would be further desirable to provide a striking device that can be immediately and effortlessly collapsible and stored for saving space when not in use.
A further problem arises when additional pieces of equipment are required to simulate training against multiple opponents. In order to solve this problem one such striking device, The Master Fighter, by Self Defense Systems, is comprised of a single platform of fabricated steel, supporting multiple heavy-duty, force-impact absorbing pads to form a large enclosure. However, this type of device is not well suited for home use because it is noisy when struck, substantially space consuming, weighs hundreds of pounds, is difficult to move, and in addition to costing many thousands of dollars, it is expensive to ship and difficult to install. It would be therefore desirable to produce a striking device that is noiseless when struck, modest in size, lightweight, relatively low in cost, and can be easily configured to simulate being surrounded by multiple opponents.
Many of the old Martial Arts Masters believe the highest level in martial art comes from the harmony of both the “hard and soft sides” of their art, as represented in the Taoist tenet, “Yin and Yang.” Gichen Funakoshi, the father of modern karate, was known to have demonstrated his mastery when breaking a makawara striking board, in front of his most advanced students, with what appeared to be a seemingly effortless strike. Similarly, the most revered martial arts film star in history, the late Bruce Lee, divided his training to both hard and soft striking methodologies. Lee's force impact training was practiced on wooden dummies and heavy bags. Yet, his amazing speed and power he credited to the soft side, which included striking relatively non-resistant contact, visible targets, such as a piece of paper hanging on the end of a string, a small leaf on a low branch, or a lit candle, in which the retraction speed of his strike would suck out the flame. By training with visibly targeted, non-force impact, relatively non-resistant contact methods, Lee was able to program his mind and body with the ancient teachings of Taoism's Yin and Yang and its powerful sister tenets, “Wu Wei,” meaning, “the not doing,” or “letting it happen,” and “Wei Wu Wei,” meaning, “the soft and invisible power,” or “effortless doing.” There is no known prior art striking device, nor is there known of any attempt to produce a striking device that helps the user learn to strike with greater speed and power while using less effort, as taught through ancient Taoist principles. It would be desirable, therefore, to provide a striking device that helps the user practice the “soft side” of striking in the way of ancient Taoist principles for developing faster speed and more powerful strikes while using less effort.
Youth striking bags are commonly made of a lightweight plastic, rubber, or vinyl, and can be filled with soft foam or inflated with air, such as the Bounce-back Bag, by Everlast Worldwide Inc., for children generally between the ages four to eleven. However, due to their wide bounce-back radius, and non-stable base, they can sway wildly or even launch when struck to cause damage to property, making them not well suited for safe home use. Additionally, their unrealistic response to strikes impedes development of proper skills for boxing and martial arts. Furthermore, striking devices made for children are often constructed of inexpensive, low quality materials and are prone to damage and frequent air leakage, making them not well suited for normal daily use. It would be, therefore, desirable to produce a striking device that is suitable for children and made with quality materials that do not degrade or leak air, is safe and appropriate for home use, and can be used for developing proper skills in boxing and martial arts.
Professional martial artists and boxers know that they must be consistent in training to avoid erosion of skills over time, and that their frequency of training should not be limited for reasons of inaccessibility or making noise that disturbs others. It would be, therefore, desirable to produce a striking device that can be immediately accessible within the living areas of the home, such as a bedroom, den, or office, and is “noiseless” when struck, so that user can train in the home, day or night, without disturbing others.
Professional athletes know that consistency in practice time and high repetitions improves complex motor skills. However, high amounts of repetition movement performed incorrectly can lead to poor skills and the risk of injury from overuse. It would be, therefore, desirable to produce a striking device that encourages increased practice sessions, practice time, volume of repetition movements of striking at targets without the risk of injuries from overuse. It would be further desirable to produce a striking device that allows users to continue training through slight to moderate injuries, such as a hamstring pull. It would be further desirable to produce a striking device that can be used by career professionals, such as surgeons, musicians, and artists, who wish to train in boxing and martial arts without risking injury to their hands. It is further desirable to produce a striking device that allows the practice of exercising high repetitive, multiple-planes of relatively non-resistant contact movements for increasing range of motion, safe muscle strengthening, high amounts of synovial fluid production, and hydration of joints and muscles for therapeutic modalities, such as physical therapy, injury recovery and health maintenance.
It is recommended, for users of striking devices and punching bags, that bag gloves, boxing gloves, hand-wraps, or bandages are worn to provide proper protection to the knuckles, thumbs, wrists, and bones of the hand from rigorous and repeated hard force impact striking. This is why traditional hard force impact striking exercises are generally unsuitable for people suffering from physical ailments, such as arthritis or injured joints. It would be, therefore, desirable to produce a striking device that does not require protective equipment for normal use, and makes traditional striking exercises suitable and safe for seniors and sufferers of physical ailments. It would further be desirable to produce a striking device that is appropriate for use by or anyone with fragile bones, a degenerative disease, physical disability, and those confined to wheelchairs.
Some striking devices are simple striking pads or shields to be hand-held by a second training partner and presented at various positions and orientations, allowing the first user to target and train multiple techniques in rapid succession. However, it is not always possible or practical to train in this way, as it is dependent on the availability of a training partner. It would be desirable, therefore, to produce a striking device that can be hand-held as well as fixedly attached to a ceiling, wall, or doorway for times when a training partner is not available.
There is no prior art striking device that is suited for the higher sensitivity training and techniques of some martial arts, such as “sticking hands.” Therefore, it would be desirable to produce a striking device that provides a system of instantly responsive, flexible striking targets that can provide significant stimulation for tactile, higher sensitivity techniques.
Accordingly, advantages of the present invention are to produce a non-force impact martial arts striking device with relatively non-resistant contact striking targets: (a) that combines distinct advantages of targeted “force impact” striking with “non-force impact” striking; (b) that provides “visible targeting” with the ability to accurately analyze and correct technical mistakes as when shadow boxing, or performing the choreographed patterns of movements in martial arts forms; (c) that combines the advantage of simulating a full-size opponent used for targeted striking of the heavy bag with the advantages of the lighter “more lively” action of the smaller training bags; (d) that allows the user to learn to train the “soft side” of striking in accordance with ancient Taoist principles for delivering greater speed and power while using less effort; (e) that does not send rebound energy back to the user that can slow speed and clog continuity; (f) that eliminate the user's expectation of hard impact forces that otherwise impede building speed, continuity, and penetration skills; (g) that allows the user to strike with non-force impact, such as when a boxer burns more energy and effort missing his opponent than hitting him, so that the user can burn more calories, build cardiovascular fitness, core strength, stamina, and endurance; (h) that does not require the use of protective equipment, such as bag gloves, boxing gloves, hand wraps, and bandages for protecting the wrists, thumbs, knuckles, and bones of the hands from injury; (i) so that all striking areas of the body, including the head, shins, elbows, knees, and fingertips, can be used repetitively without the risk of injury and need for protective equipment; (j) that allows users to increase volume and repetitions of striking targets without the potential of injuries from overuse; (k) that allows a user to continue training through slight to moderate, non-related injuries; (l) that career professionals, such as surgeons, musicians, and artists, can continue to train in boxing and martial arts without risk of injuries to their hands; (m) that non-force impact movement exercises can be used in therapeutic modalities, such as physical therapy, injury recovery and health maintenance; (n) that is attractive in appearance so that it is well suited for home use as a training device as well as a decorative piece; (o) that offers “noiseless” training so that it can be used day or night within the home or office without disturbing others; (p) that is easily collapsible so that it can be reduced in size to save space when not in use; (q) that is low in cost and modular so that users may custom build and expand their units to add features and capabilities; (r) that can be easily disassembled and packed for travel so that it can be used as a portable training unit; (s) that is neither heavy nor bulky so that it can be packaged and shipped inexpensively to customers in the smallest possible containers; (t) that is light in weight so that it does not require weight baring or reinforced structures for mounting, or springs that help dampen the transfer of vibrations and noise through walls and ceilings; (u) that react to being struck without bouncing and colliding into objects, so that valuable property in the home is not destroyed; (v) that is light in weight so that it can optionally mount onto a standing floor base without the additional need to be filled with water, sand, concrete or other heavy material; (w) that provides a plurality of independent targets so that the user is presented with a variety of striking options and angles; (x) that can form a substantial cylindrical enclosure in the shape of a typical heavy punching bag, so that the user is able to strike high and low and at all angles as though hitting and moving with a real opponent; (y) that provides gaps between targets so that spaces can be progressively narrowed to create more challenge when striking for developing greater accuracy and precision; (z) that is suspended from the ends of spaced apart, outwardly reaching, sliding telescopic arms so that more striking targets can be added; (aa) that can be swiveled horizontally at the ends of said arms so that the angle of attack can be varied; (bb) that provides an expandable enclosure of independent targets so that the user can train within the device, such as when practicing 360 degrees standing kicking drills and combinations or long-range striking techniques; (cc) that combine the usages of multiple pieces of equipment into a single unit that can be configured to simulate being surrounded by multiple opponents; (dd) that can be easily adjustable in height and dimension so that it can be used to suit both adults and children; (ee) that combines multiple usages and training exercises into one unit so that multiple pieces of equipment are not needed, saving costs and valuable space; (ff) that allows for training multiple exercises and techniques together and in rapid succession without wasting valuable training time disassembling and reassembling the device; (gg) that allows users to develop advanced footwork patterns for hiding, stealing, and closing distances; (hh) that can be translucent so that the user has the advantage of visual depth of field to help measure proper target penetration when striking; (ii) that can be configured in manner so that multiple users can train on one device at the same time; (jj) that can combine the advantage and usage of being hand-held by a training partner and/or fixedly attached to a ceiling, wall, or doorway when a training partner is not available; (kk) that can be removably attached to a wide variety of overhead supports, frames, doorframes, or suspensions systems; (ll) that can provide a multiplicity of individual training stations to economically fill a group training area such as an aerobics room or martial arts studio; (mm) that are translucent so that multiple users can see through targets to help avoid one another, train safely, and see their instructor while training on either the same device or in a group training room having multiple stations; (nn) that spontaneously react and move when being struck so that the user develops hand-eye coordination, reaction timing, and speed; (oo) that spontaneously react when being struck so that the user can practice more complex punching combinations, as practiced on the speed bag, but without its difficult laws of rhythm and counting rebounds; (pp) that spontaneously react and refresh differently to every kind of strike, kick, or combination, as would a live opponent; (qq) that are suspended in a slightly curved manner to provide a better reshaping action and simulation of a real opponent; (rr) that is durable to withstand a considerable amount of abuse without deterioration from long-term repeated impact; (ss) that can be configured to provide sensitivity for training martial arts' techniques, such as sticking hands; (tt) that can interact with electronics so that the user can receive the benefits of biofeedback and instructional aids during training workouts; and, (uu) that can have printed, projected, or displayed images on their surfaces, such as a boxer, martial artist, street fighter, movie hero or villain, video game opponent, animal, or any other creature so that the image provides specific striking targets on said figures.
These and other objects will be more readily ascertainable to one skilled in the martial arts from a consideration of the following figures, description and exemplary embodiments, with the understanding the drawings are illustrative only and that changes may be made in the specific construction illustrated and described within the scope of the appended claims.